Skills Finland celebrates International Women’s Day 8.3.2019

07.03.2019

International Women’s day is celebrated globally on the 8th of March 2019.

Skills Finland wants to highlight the importance of equality between women and men in the working life. The Finnish labour market is still heavily divided into female- and male-dominated fields. In honor of the International Women’s Day we want to highlight the stories of two young women, who have found their fields of choice in traditionally male-dominated industries.

IIDA VIITAMÄKI – MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CAD

Iida Viitamäki studies Technical Design at Tampereen seudun ammattiopisto Tredu. Iida won the bronze medal at the Finnish national skills competition Taitaja in 2018. She is also going to participate in Taitaja in 2019.

“Before the general application I researched various options and disqualified those that didn’t interest me. I was left with mainly different fields in tech, of which I chose Technical Design only a few days before the deadline. Even though I made my decision at the last moment, I haven’t regretted it, since I enjoy this field. I constantly learn new things and develop myself. In my opinion the best part about this field is the precision and problem-solving. I’m eagerly awaiting the chance to join the workforce.

At Taitaja I learned a lot about time management as well as using the CAD-software. I noticed a new level of concentration in myself during the competition. The competition motivated me to study more and to keep improving in this field.”

SANNI ISOTALO – MECHATRONICS

Sanni Isotalo studies Electrical and Automation Engineering at Gradia. Sanni intends to participate at the Finnish national skills competition Taitaja in 2019.

“I wanted to work in a field with good job opportunities and where you get to see the concrete results of your work. I chose the electronic field based on these criteria and got interested in automation during my studies. The best part of my field is how multifaceted it is. Before applying I didn’t understand how many kinds of jobs electronics- and automation technicians can do. The future looks anything but boring!

I got the unique opportunity to finish both of my training periods in Spain. To work and live abroad has always been my dream. Learning at your workplace is in my opinion an essential part of studying for a vocation and you get to have a certain kind of “eureka-experiences” when you witness the theory you learned in school in the real world. At the same time, it motivates you to study, as you understand more and more of your field. Learning makes you want to learn more.”